Circuit-closer for automobiles.



T. A. BAGKE, GIRGUIT CLOSER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' APPLIUATION FILED HAIIB, 1907. 91 6, 649. Patented Mar. 30; 1909.

BY "ZI VENTOI? M/e,

Arrow/5Y8 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

THEODORE A. BAOKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TQ E. ARTHUR PARKER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

'cmeurr-crosna For. ao'roiionms.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed May 15, 1907. Serial No. 373,764..

' the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings,

city and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Circuit- Closers for Automobiles, of which the following isa specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which a Flgure 1 isa front elevation of the QDECUlt closer with the usual glass cover removed; Fig. 2 a vertical central sectional view on the line II II of Fig. 1.

One of the main objects of this invention is to provide a circuit closer, for use on auto mobiles, to close the circuits to the spark plugs, in which the cireuit closer members will be non-sliding.

In the ordinary form of circuit closers now in use the movable contact slides over the stationary contact or contacts with the result that metal is scraped or wiped off in fine particles, and these fine particles of disassociated metal are burned or member and the stationary one. It is clear in this form of circuit closer that the sliding member or shoe forms an imperfect contact with the stationary member. If it ispressed against said stationary member with sufficient force to make a proper contact there will be a great deal of friction between the two members with the result that the material of which said members are composed will be wiped or rubbed off and deposited on the insulating pieces located between the contacts. The result of this is that the current is not broken at the proper time and will often be-completed'before the proper compression is secured in r the expansion chamber. here arcing occurs the parts are soon burned orpitted to such an extent as to seriously interfercwith the opera-l ion of the device. lVith my invention a rolling contact member is provided which is posi This ring is internally geared, as at 2.

tively engaged by the Contact .pieces and caused to rotate so that it hasa rotating and step-by-step contact with the terminals or stationary pieces.

' Other equally important features of myinvention will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the circuit closer ring.

ignited caus- .mg considerable arcing between the movable At the desired points in this ring, where it is desired to complete a sparker circuit, contact plates 3 are inserted. Each contact plate is formed with gear teeth which correspond in every way with the teeth. formed on thefcircuie closer ring, and form part of the continuous internal gear or ring. I have shown in plates located Fig. 1 four of these contact equal distances apart, but it will, of course, be understood that any number of" them, from one to six, or more, may be used, the

number of plates'depend-ingupon the number of cylinders in the engine, and consequently 'upon the number of spark plugs used. "These contact plates are shown as provided with three teeth, but. it will of course, be understood that they may be formed' withdesired. I have found that a plate having a single tooth works very we1l,-but I prefer that each plate should have a plurality of teeth.

Each contact plate 3 is insulated from the adjoining sections 5 of the circuit closer ring, and the supporting case 6 by a'plate of insulation 7 and the intermediate sections of the circuit closer ring are insulated from the supporting case by insulation 8. I

Each contact plate carries, a binding post 10 which extends radially outward through the supporting ring 6 and to the outer end of whichone wire of the spark plug circuit is connected. Each binding post is insulated from the case 6 by insulation 11. A lock-nut 12 is screwed on each binding post an :l'.against the outer surface of the case 6 and serves to clamp the contact plate inposit-ion inside of the circuit closer case. Each contact plate is so shaped that it serves as a means for locking the adjoining intermediate sections of the ring 1 1n place. As shown in Fig. l of the drawings these plates enlarge inwardly and serve as wedges to force the. sections 5 tightly in place-so that no additional fastening means is necessary when the parts are assembled. The inner side of'the circuit closer ring is closed by a-- late 13 which is rigidly secured thereto, and in the center of which is mounted a rotatable sleeve 14:. This sleeve is formed at its inner end with an annular flange 15 which fits within-the circuit closer ring on .the innerside of the plate 13, and is held in position by meansof a collar 16 secured in place on its outer end by means fewer teeth or more teeth, as

' pinge against the teeth of bright thereby insuring a complete contact of a set screw 17. When the circuit closer is used on a two-cycle motor the end of the drive-shaft is secured within the sleeve, but when the circuit closer is used on a fourcycle motor, the valve-controllin shaft is secured within the sleeve, or said s eeve may 1 be secured toany'counter-shaft driven from the main shaft and making two revolutions to every single revolution of the drivin shaft, for.a purpose well known in automobile practice.

Secured to the sleeve 14, or to the flange 15 thereof, within the circuit closer rin or casing, is an eccentric pin 18 on Whic "is secured a contact member 19. This me ber'is inthe form of a metal gear wheel, preferably a brass wheel, which'is adapted to mesh with the internal gear of the circuit closer ring and contact plates. It will be readily seenlthat as sleeve 14 is rotated by the driving shaft, or other shaft connected thereto, the contact member 19 will be rolled around the internally geared circuit closerring and will 'in turn engage the teeth of the contact plates, making a rolling ste -bystep contact therewith. contact wheeler member-will directly imthe contact plates forming a direct and positive contact between the two members through whichfthe current may, pass. Furthermore, because of the inter-meshing ef the teeth, the engaging parts of the plates will be kept clean and and sharp breaks.

It will, of course, be'understood, that the internal gear of the circuit closer ring 'ma contain any number of teeth and that the rotatable contact member may be of any convenient size-and be provided withany desired number of teeth. I prefer, however, that the rotatable contact member be so proportioned with respect to the internal-rack or gear of thecircuit closer ring that the same teeth will not engage the contact plates as the rotatable contact member is moved around the circuit closerring. The pur-- pose of this is to prevent. undue wear on a few teeth, and to distribute the Wear around the entire car It is only necessary that the circuit 0 oser ring shall be provided with number of teeth whichis not a multiple of the number of teeth on the contact member 19. i v

Secured to the plate "13 is a lever arm 20' to which the usual adjusting rod, by means of which the ignition is advanced or retarded, may be'connected. Itwill be readily understood that by rotating the ring 1 to the left,- as indicated by the arrow in- Fig. 1, the ig- The teeth oft-theb ing said sections from each the supporting case, binding posts clampmg supporting case, every other nally toothed ring engagement with the contact plate 3 to the left of said member 19, and by rotating it to engine from the seat, and without the neccssity of starting it with the usual starting crank. I t will, of course,abe understood,.that any form of rolling contactmay be usedinstead of gear 19; and that any desired form of inter-meshing gears or projectionsmay be- 4 used instead of the form of gear shown. fully described my invention, What Having desire to secure by Let- I claim as new and ters Patent, is

1. A circuit closer comprising an inter-' nally toothed ring formed of sections insulated from each other, some of said sections forming contact members, means for-securing the contact members in place, said memers serving as locking means to hold the intermediate sectionsof the ring in place, and a rotating toothed contact member adapter? to be moved around the toothed ring.

2. A circuit closer comprising an internally toothed ring formed in sections, some of said sections forming contact members, a supporting case therefor, means for insulatother and from to the case, the contact members serving as means to clamp the intermediate sections of the ring to the case, and means to, insulate the binding posts from the case. p

3. A'circnit closer comprising an interthe contact members nally toothed ring formed in sections, a sup-- portingcase therefor, means for insulating sald sections from section forming a contact member, binding posts'connected each other and from the;

to the contact members'and clamping said v members to the case, said members enlarging inwardly and serving as means to clamp the intermediate sections-of the ring to the case.

4. A circuit closer'c'omprising. an. interporting case therefor, means for insulating said sections from each other and from the supporting case, every other section forming a contact member, binding posts connected to the contact members and clamping said members to the 'case, said members enlarging inwardlyand serving as means to clamp the intermediate sections of the ring to the case, and means for rotating the toothed ring to advance or retard the closing of the circuits.

5. A circuit, closer comprising an internally toothed ring lated from each other, some-of saidisection's formed insections, a sup formed of sections insu nally a rotatable toothed contact member ing said toothed ring in place,

forming Contact members, means for securing the contact members in place, said members serving as locking means to hold the intermediate sections of the ring in place, an a rotatable toothed contact member adapted to be moved around the'toothed ring, the center of saidtoothed rotating contact memher being afixed distance at all times from the center of the internally toothed rin whereby the two members Willbe positive y in engagement With each other at all times.

6. A circuit closer comprising an internally toothed ring formed of sections insulated from each other, some of said sections forming contact members, means for securing the contact members in place, said meme hers serving as locking means to hold the intermediate sections ofthe ring in place, and

to be moved around the toothed ring, the center of said toothed rotating contact member being a fixed dist nee at all times from the center of the internally toothed ring,

whereby the two members will be positively in engagement with each other at all times, said two contact members being so proportioned with respect to each other that the same teeth'will not be engaged in tWo successive movements of the rotating contact member around the toothed ring.

7. A circuit closer comprising an intertoothed ring formed in sections insulated from each other, some oi: said sections forming contact members, means for securmeans for adapted l 8. A circuit closer comprising an internally toothed ring formed in sections insulated from each other, some or said sections forming contact members, means tor securing the contact members in place, said members "serving as locking means to hold the other sectionsof the ring in place,.and a rotatable toothed contact member adapted to 'be moved around the toothed ring.

9.. A circuit closer comp mg an internally toothed ring formed of sections ins lated from each other, some of said sections forming contact members, binding posts connected to said contact. members and securing the same in place, the contact members being so formed as to'act asloclcing means to hold the intermediate sections of the ring in place.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiiir my signature in the presence of two Witnesses this 'l lth day of lr'lay 1907.

THEODORE A. BACYE.

Witnesses 'WM. DAVIS, EMMA H. H. KAUFMANN. 

